Due to the high volume of submissions and issues so far raised, the timeframe for the Drake Inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) to report to the Minister for Gaming and Racing, David Harris, has been extended until 30 April 2025.

This will ensure Acting Commissioner, the Hon Lea Drake, has adequate time and resources to thoroughly consider the substantial and complex information including evidence from additional witnesses, with planned hearing dates running until the end of December.

Mr Harris approved the extension following a request from Ms Drake.

The Minister has also agreed to Ms Drake’s request to expand the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference to allow for a stronger focus on GRNSW’s financial management.

The second Term of Reference now requires the Acting Commissioner to “inquire into, report on and make findings and recommendations in relation to”:

2. GRNSW processes and management, including financial management, procurement and recruitment practices, and concerns regarding any alleged or identified conflicts of interest and the management of conflicts of interest.

The Inquiry’s next hearings are listed for 1pm to 7pm on 15 and 16 October in the Fair Work Commission hearing rooms at 80 William Street, East Sydney.

Further hearings will be held from 21 October, and additional dates will be confirmed for November and December and posted on the Drake Inquiry website.

Galaxsys, a leading provider of innovative gaming solutions, is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Betika, one of Africa’s premier sports betting platforms. This collaboration will allow Galaxsys to provide its rich portfolio of high-quality games to Betika, which boasts a large player base across multiple African markets including Kenya, Ghana, DRC and Tanzania, and has been a prominent operator since 2016.

Thanks to this exciting partnership, players in these key markets will gain access to over 30 engaging titles, including popular games such as Crash, Rocketon, Crasher, Cash Show, Starlight. This diverse portfolio blends skill-based and fast-paced games, offering a unique experience on Betika’s well-established and continually growing platform.

Teni Grigoryan, Chief Sales and Partner Management Officer at Galaxsys, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We’re thrilled to team up with Betika, a major player in the African gaming scene. This partnership is a significant milestone for us as we expand into a region, we’ve been eager to connect with. Betika’s impressive reach across more than 10 African countries and its deep understanding of local player preferences make it the perfect partner. Together, we’re set to bring our innovative content to a broader audience and create something special for gamers across the continent.”

Betika’s Chief Product Officer, Peter Stagles also shared his satisfaction following the signing, stating, “Partnering with Galaxsys is an exciting opportunity for Betika as we continue to enhance our gaming offerings. Their innovative game portfolio perfectly complements our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences to our players. We are eager to bring these exciting new titles to our audience across Africa and look forward to a successful collaboration that will set new standards in the gaming industry.”

This partnership marks a pivotal moment for Galaxsys as it aligns with the company’s strategy to reach new audiences and soar to new heights in the African market. With Betika’s extensive experience and strong market position, both companies are poised for a successful journey ahead.

“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape. 

Writing for European Gaming, Tereza Melicharkova, Head of Marketing for Swintt, discusses the importance of knowing each individual target audience when creating a software portfolio that caters for the widest cross-section of players possible. 

In an industry as dynamic as iGaming where new trends come and go, player preferences are constantly evolving and what constitutes the blueprint for a successful release can differ wildly from one market to the next, Swintt has always believed that the key to long-term success lies in creating a content portfolio that can appeal to as broad a cross-section of customers as possible. 

While it’s true that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for creating casino games that consistently hit the mark with players and create sustained engagement for the operators that host them, there’s definitely something to be said for diversifying your offering so that you always have the opportunity to tailor the content provided via your partnerships to account for all local audiences. 

In doing so, you’ll ensure that you’re not effectively placing all your eggs in one basket by sticking to a single tried and tested formula, but are instead building a library that is capable of tapping into regional differences while still retaining the hallmarks of your brand. It’s precisely this line of thinking that led us to developing the multiple product lines that exist within the Swintt portfolio. 

Balancing Legacy and Innovation 

For those who are unfamiliar with how Swintt operates, we always sort our releases into one of three main categories. The two founding product lines in our software portfolio are SwinttPremium and SwinttSelect, but we’ve also diversified our offering further with Elysium Studios – Driven by Swintt titles that have arrived following our acquisition of the developer earlier this year. 

Going through the different product categories one-by-one, the Swintt Premium range was developed with a view to appealing to audiences who have a fondness for the kind of slot you’d normally find in a land-based gaming venue. Typically combining classic casino-style graphics and sound with familiar fruit-based symbols, each Premium release offers a recognisable, easy-to-trigger feature such as our signature “Book” Free Spins or the popular “Pearl Respins” bonus. 

Successful examples of SwinttPremium slots include releases in the aforementioned “Book” series like Seven Books Unlimited as well as games like Big Max Pots and Pearls – and what we’ve seen from these titles is that they generally perform well in markets like Germany and the Netherlands, where the average player is a little older and more traditional tastes typically prevail. 

Of course, while it’s obviously important to cater for these “legacy” players, doing so should not come at the cost of innovation and supplying a more immersive slot experience to the newer generation – and this is where our SwinttSelect line-up comes in. Known for their state-of-the-art designs and pioneering bonus features, our Select games push the boundaries of what’s possible from a slot and have proved incredibly popular in tech-savvy markets like the UK and Scandinavia. 

In particular, our XtraSeriesTM games – including our most successful release to date, Aloha Spirit XtraLockTM – have really helped showcase what a talented team of developers we have by providing a range of unique and engaging themes as well as bonus features players won’t find from any other provider. By offering these titles, we ensure Swintt is capable of catering to the needs of a wide range of players while also reflecting the demands of each market we operate in. 

Having A Mobile-First Mindset 

As I referenced earlier, Swintt’s acquisition of Elysium Studios in January this year really was a major step forward for the company, as it enabled us to not only further diversify the portfolio of content that we offer to partners, but also to double down on all of the things that have made our Select line-up such a success by introducing even more ambitious designs and thrilling features. 

As a provider that has carved out a fairly specialist niche in the industry for creating game mechanics that draw on a variety of social, video and casino gaming factors, Elysium Studios was always going to be a key part of how Swintt looks to engage with the next generation of casino customer. Featuring cutting-edge designs, quirky themes and a huge variety of features in every release, the Elysium Studios – Driven by Swintt range really has taken our offering to new heights. 

What is perhaps particularly notable about Elysium Studios is their mobile-first approach to game design – and while this has always been a big priority at Swintt, by working together with them, we’ve definitely taken things to the next level. With mobile now accounting for the majority of all online casino play, having immersive bonus features that utilise tap and swipe touch-screen functionality has been an incredibly powerful tool in helping us connect with modern audiences. 

We’ve already seen from the success of games like Law of Gilgamesh and Fox Tale that there’s a real demand among newer players for titles that replicate the user experience of the popular mobile games that they’ve grown up with – and if the buzz around our upcoming release, I Hate Fairytales is anything to go by, we’ll have many more success stories with the studio in the future. 

It’s All About Entertainment 

Of course, while having several strings to our bow has been a key component of Swintt’s success in penetrating multiple regulated markets, it’s equally important that for all our different product lines, we’ve never lost sight of who we are and what we stand for. We see online casino gaming primarily as a form of entertainment – and whether they’re playing Premium, Select or Elysium Studios releases, our players can always be sure they’ll be getting a fun and exciting experience. 

We pride ourselves on providing top quality titles with a real flair for the creative, and this definitely extends to the way that we market ourselves to partners. From our stand at SBC Lisbon that promoted I Hate Fairytales with a free-to-enter hammer strength competition to the Swinttopia board game we created to celebrate our five year anniversary, we’ve always tried to find inventive ways to promote our products and this has been a major factor in how we’ve grown. 

By retaining this key creative strand across our entire portfolio, we’ve put together a product line-up that is varied enough to tap into the unique demands of each individual market without ever compromising the principles that have enabled Swintt to truly stand out as a brand – and in an industry as competitive as iGaming, that’s a really powerful thing to have working in your favour!